When is a High-End Analyser Worth it?

[dirkwright]

Usually when troubleshooting malfunctioning gear, it not about identifying some sputz a few zeros to the right of the decimal, but some much grosser error, and so easier to read.

That's exactly how I use the Lindos LA100. It goes to around 0.002% THD if memory serves me right. If I'm testing something that has THD below its threshold when working correctly, it's unlikely to have a fault that renders its THD somewhere between its correct figure and 0.002%.... Not impossible, but unlikely... I do crave a nice FFT, though. Something with a ROM-based OS that boots in seconds and gives me a similar resolution to an AP / Prism etc. Most issues revolve around noise and / or distortion - a low-distortion generator + high-res FFT will tell you if these problems exist in a millisecond. Much as the LA100 tells me when there's an issue, an FFT would potentially be more specific in pointing the figure.

I like this FFT software:
http://www.audiotester.de/
It does other things as well, and is shareware.

 

[ricardo]

I would like a Lindos LA100 as well as the latest AP.

But I'll bet you guys that if you were lucky enough to have both, the Lindos would see MUCH more use than the AP

 

[thermionic]

I would like a Lindos LA100 as well as the latest AP.

But I'll bet you guys that if you were lucky enough to have both, the Lindos would see MUCH more use than the AP

I suspect there's a lot of truth in this. I know of no unit which can give you an idea of 99% of the function of a unit in seconds like the Lindos does. It worries me that I could spend a ton on an AP and it becomes a bit of a vanity unit to impress clients, with the vast majority of testing being done via the LA100. As it is, the LA100 probably gets more use than my scope / function generator. If the Lindos highlights an issue, I then go to the scope / generator for a more thorough look at what's happening.

Will the clients really care I have an AP? They don't use APs, so all that'll matter to them will be how the unit in question behaves in their installation...(and what I charge them!).

Aside from depleting my bank account, the AP will also take up a shed load of bench space. Whereas I can plug something in and get a rough idea of its function in 2 seconds with the Lindos, I'll have to boot up the AP and wait for it to run self tests etc.